RESULTS:
United States MNT [4:0] Guatemala
FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifying | Tuesday, 29 March 2016 | MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus, OH)
Sporting Kansas City [1:2] Real Salt Lake
Major League Soccer | Saturday, 2 April 2016 | Children's Mercy Park (Kansas City, KS)
Manchester United [1:0] Everton
Barclays Premier League | Sunday, 3 April 2016 | Old Trafford
NOTES:
REDEMPTION! Or as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz would say: "There's no place like home." Following their embarrassing performance in Guatemala City, the USMNT demonstrated that the rumors of their demise had been greatly exaggerated by thumping Guatemala, 4:0. Columbus, OH was once again host to yet another USMNT victory as the city and its stadium continue to be kryptonite for visiting opposition. At present, the USMNT sits in second place in Group C of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying behind Trinidad & Tobago. The USMNT will look to secure its place in the Hexagonal stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying in 2-September as it travels to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: a victory against the bottom-dwellers of Group C coupled with a T&T win against Guatemala will render the final group stage match between the USMNT and T&T meaningless as both sides will have earned passage to the Hexagonal.
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Well, the perfect start to the 2016 MLS campaign came to an end this weekend as SKC lost at home to bitter rivals Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you wish to look at it), I did not have an opportunity to watch the match so I am not able to provide any sort of opinion on the match but it is not as though I had much insight to provide anyways.
On the other hand, I did manage to watch Manchester United's victory against Everton on Sunday morning. To be honest, it felt like a typical Manchester United match featuring a dull opening half of play, followed by a halftime substitution, and then a breakthrough in the second half which leads to a frenetic conclusion in which Manchester United clings and grasps on to their advantage for what feels like ages. Anthony Martial scored the match-winner as well as Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton was honored by having the south stand named in his honor.
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And now, I will discuss the elephants in the room: the USWNT's lawsuit against U.S. Soccer and the apparent discord between the USWNT and USMNT that came to light following USWNT legend Abby Wambach's arrest for DUI.
First off, I am on board with the idea of "equal work, equal pay". The USWNT in winning multiple World Cups and Olympic gold medals have done as much, if not more, for the beautiful game in the United States as the USMNT and they deserve to be (1) paid accordingly and (2) subjected to subpar treatment (e.g., being asked to play on unsafe playing surfaces as was the case in Hawai'i and in the final match of the She Believes Cup at FAU Stadium). It is embarrassing that in a country and within a soccer federation that prides itself as being progressive in the area of gender equality, the same federation would pay its women's team for winning a World Cup the same amount as it pays its men's team for simply appearing in the tournament. It is also a shame that women plying their trade within this nation's domestic league are typically paid so poorly that many are forced to (1) share homes out of necessity, (2) take on second jobs to remain afloat financially, or (3) if possible, go abroad to ply their trade for a second club thus reducing their ability to properly rest in between seasons. Anyways, I hope the USWNT are successful in their fight to receive not only equal pay but equal treatment from the U.S. Soccer Federation.
As for the second elephant in the room, allow me to begin by saying: Abby messed up. Yes, she did own her mistake and publicly apologized for it, but in a world with car-share services like Lyft, uber, or even traditional taxis; there is no excuse for DUI. It is one thing to place yourself in harms way but it is a whole other situation to place the lives of others in harms way and that is exactly what happens when anyone decides to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when intoxicated. And what makes the situation even more difficult for Abby is that her error in judgment will have a negative effect on the public's perception of the USWNT's wage discrimination lawsuit regardless of the fact that the two situations are not related. For an example, simply look at the responses of USMNT regulars Alejandro Bedoya and Jozy Altidore. Bedoya, in particular, was eager to cast shade on Abby and doing so under the guise of responding to Wambach's remarks from December about the USMNT's reliance upon foreign-born players. I will say that Bedoya is within his right to criticize Abby for her lapse of judgment in the lead up to her DUI arrest because Bedoya has a personal connection to the horrendous effects of DUI; witnessing what happened to another USMNT player: Charlie Davies. But the ill will he exhibited with his public response (or ridicule) of the situation speaks volumes of the discord that exists between the two national team sides especially in light of the remarks made by some of the USWNT players comparing the successes of the two sides. I am not saying that there is total discord amongst the two sides but this incident only brings to light the fact that both sides are not on equal footing and they know it.
It is a difficult situation for each of the individuals involved but it serves as a reminder that athletes are human and that they will make mistakes. But they are humans held in an elevated position because of their sphere of influence and that is why they are held accountable for their actions and behavior. Is it right? I would say that it is not but it is how the world views professional athletes. So when an athlete screws up, the public expects an apology regardless of its sincerity and not cries about why they are being forced into a corner and not allowed to openly express their opinions. Personally, athletes should be free to act and behave how they want just as fans are permitted to choose whether or not they like or respect a particular athlete. And yes, I realize that I have trekked off-course in this final paragraph but I felt like expressing my opinion on this matter.
